Nanogenerators: Tiny Tech, Big Questions

Nanogenerators can turn subtle body movements like your heartbeat into power for electronic devices. Think you have what it takes to power through our nanogenerator quiz?

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Question 1 of 20

The "nano" in nanotechnology suggests that the components inside can be measured in nanometers. How long is a nanometer?

One billionth of a meter

A nanometer (nm) is one billionth of a meter. To put this in perspective, a human hair is about 60,000 nm in diameter.

One millionth of a meter

One hundred thousandth of a meter

Question 2 of 20

What term is used to describe a material that generates an electric current just by bending or it?

Kinetic

Photoelectric

Piezoelectric

A piezoelectric substance has a molecular structure that causes electrons to move through it when it's bent or stretched. Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) and zinc oxide (ZnO) are two examples of piezoelectric materials.

Question 3 of 20

True or false: Researchers have been able to get the same output from nanogenerators as from a pair of AA batteries.

True

Z.L. Wang and his research team at Georgia Tech were able to stack five nanogenerators together to produce about 3 volts of electricity, or about the same as a pair of AA batteries (which are 1.5 volts each).

False

Question 4 of 20

How did researchers Michael McAlpine and Prashant Purohit overcome the problem with the piezoelectric material PZT being extremely brittle?

They created nanowires and grouped them together in bundles.

They created nanoribbons and formed them into in a wave pattern.

McAlpine, Purohit, and their colleagues created nanoribbons on sheets of magnesium oxide, removed them with the help of phosphoric acid, and transferred them to a pre-stretched silicone rubber. When the rubber relaxed, the ribbons buckled into waves.

They fused the PZT and the substrate.

Question 5 of 20

Zhong Lin (Z.L.) Wang of the Georgia Institute of Technology lead the first research group to build nanogenerators from which piezoelectric material?

Sodium potassium niobate (NaKNb)

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT)

Zinc oxide (ZnO)

In 1999, Wang's lab began using ZnO to build nanowires. Since then, Wang has demonstrated continued improvements in nanogenerators using ZnO.

Question 6 of 20

Researcher Michael McAlpine of Princeton has developed nanogenerators using which piezoelectric material?

Sodium potassium niobate (NaKNb)

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT)

McAlpine's group, along with Prahant Purohit's group at the University of Pennsylvania, have concentrated on using PZT in nanogenerators.

Zinc oxide (ZnO)

Question 7 of 20

How wide is a single nanowire made from zinc oxide?

50 - 100 nm

100 - 300 nm

Z.L. Wang and his team at Georgia Tech grow their own ZnO nanowires, measuring 100 to 300 nanometers each in diameter.

100 microns

Question 8 of 20

True or false: Nanogenerators turn a renewable resource into electricity.

True

Nanogenerators use kinetic energy from human body movement to stimulate the flow of electrons in their piezoelectric components.

False

Question 9 of 20

How long is a single nanowire made from zinc oxide?

50 - 100 nm

100 - 300 nm

100 microns

Z.L. Wang and his team at Georgia Tech grow their own ZnO nanowires, measuring 100 microns in length, or about the same as the width of two human hairs. One micron (one millionth of a meter) equals 1,000 nanometers (one billionth of a meter).

Question 10 of 20

What kinds of devices has Z.L. Wang's team powered with nanogenerators?

Small LEDs, LCDs and laser diodes

Though his group hasn't (as of this writing) demonstrated powering any commercial hand-held products, Wang is confident that nanogenerators will be available for commercial products within a few years.

Personal stereos, like an iPod

Laptop computers

Question 11 of 20

Will nanogenerators be able to replace the need for batteries in hand-held electronics?

It's possible

Not likely

Since nanogenerators require some constant mechanical movement to continue generating electricity, people will still likely want to use batteries for electronic devices that need to run even when they aren't in active use, such as a mobile phone in your purse or knapsack.

Question 12 of 20

True or false: Even the most complex and powerful nanogenerators are small enough to hold between your thumb and index fingers.

True

A single nanogenerator that you can hold in your fingers might have millions of nanowires inside, ready to produce electricity with a simple squeeze.

False

Question 13 of 20

The substrate is the surface on which the nanogenerator's circuit is etched. What important property must a nanogenerator's substrate posess in order to work properly?

It must be electrically charged.

It must be very flexible.

A nanogenerator works by bending or stressing it, so the substrate must be flexible enough to allow for bending or stretching indefinitely without breaking.

It must contain silicone.

Question 14 of 20

True or false: Within the next five years, you might be able to purchase a hoodie that uses your heartbeat to power your iPod or mobile phone.

True

Researchers are confident that nanogenerators will be in consumer products within the next five years, including clothing that generates power from your involuntary body movements such as your pulse or breathing.

False

Question 15 of 20

What's the name of the science and technology that deals with research and development of incredibly small man-made objects?

Nanotechnology

Researchers in nanotechnology have developed microscopic innovations like nanogenerators.

Microtechnology

Picotechnology

Question 16 of 20

What's the full chemical name for the piezoelectric material known as PZT?

Potassium zinc tinate

Potassium zirconate titanate

Lead zirconate titanate

The abbreviation PZT is more a reference to its chemical formula than its name. PZT includes elements lead (Pb), zirconium (Zr), and titanium (Ti), plus oxygen (O).

Question 17 of 20

How long is a micron?

One trillionth of a meter

One billionth of a meter

One millionth of a meter

A micron is another name for a micrometer, or one millionth of a meter. A nanometer (one billionth of a meter) is 1,000 times smaller, making 1 micron = 1,000 nm.

Question 18 of 20

How wide are the PZT nanoribbons created by researchers McAlpine and Purohit?

10 microns

The PZT nanoribbons are 10 microns wide, or about 10,000 nm, and 250 to 500 nm thick. That's 50 times wider than Wang's ZnO nanowires, though the nanoribbon thickness isn't much more than the nanowires.

100 - 300 nm

250 - 500 nm

Question 19 of 20

True or false: Nanogenerators require an initial power source, such as a battery, before they can run on their own.

True

False

All electricity generated by a nanogenerator is initiated from the piezoelectric components inside. Perhaps, though, rechargeable batteries could be used to store any nanogenerated power that isn't immediately used by an electronic device.

Question 20 of 20

What important feature of zinc oxide (ZnO) makes it an ideal choice as the piezoelectric material in nanogenerators for implanted medical devices?

ZnO is non-toxic.

An implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker, has to be compatible with the human body. ZnO is non-toxic; it is not likely to cause any adverse reaction in human tissue.